Ram tough.
That’s what the Browns were against the Los Angeles Rams in regular-season openers on this date, Sept. 28, at the both the beginning and the end of the 1950s.
 
Let’s take a look:
 
*Browns 37, Rams 7 – 1952 — at Cleveland Stadium (57,832) – The Browns got revenge – and in a big way – for their 24-17 loss to the Rams in the NFL Championship Game just nine months before.
 
They bolted to a 23-0 halftime lead and pushed the margin to 30-0 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Otto Graham threw for two touchdowns, both to running backs, on a 41-yarder to Ken Carpenter and a 13-yarder to Sherman Howard.
 
Fullback Marion Motley also ran 16 yards for a score, while Lou Groza kicked three field goals from 27 and 14 yards (twice).
 
The Rams’ star quarterbacks, Norm Van Brocklin and Bob Waterfield, were held to a combined 6-of-27 passing for 66 yards and no TDs with three interception. Los Angeles had just 158 yards of total offense to 419 for Cleveland.
 
*Browns 30, Rams 27 – 1958 – at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (68,993) – This game was just the opposite as the one six years earlier. The Browns trailed 17-7 at halftime and 27-14 after three quarters before rallying for the victory.
 
Lou Groza’s nine-yard field goal with 23 seconds left won it. The Rams missed a 48-yard field-goal try in the final seconds that would have tied the score at 30-30.
 
Earlier in the fourth quarter, Cleveland had scored two touchdowns on Milt Plum’s 21-yard pass to wide receiver Ray Renfro and Jim Brown’s five-yard run.
 
The defending Eastern Conference champions’ points – two TDs – through the first three quarters had come on Plum’s four-yard pass to running back Bobby Mitchell and Brown’s 38-yard run.
 
In his second season, Brown rushed for a whopping 171 yards in just 24 carries, averaging 7.1 yards per try. Mitchell added 50 yards in 10 attempts as Cleveland rushed for 257 yards overall.